The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-06-16

the Shores of Merrie England.
THE following letter is the first of series to be
furnished the readers of this paper from abroad
Oy the author of the Mary Jane letters that were so
popular some years ago in The Louisville Courier
Journal. The writer is enjoying n vacation in
England and the continent of Europe, and 1t is
expected that the letters will prove very attrac-
tive.l
PLYMOUTH, England, May 2S-Three
months ago, when stated to my friends in
America that l intended making summer
"Trip to Europe, they held up their hands in
holy horror and shrieked out that it was per-
rectly awful.
"Why," said they, lit is preposterous for
you, a woman, to go off on such long
Journey without an escortw
But" said l, calmly, al am not going
without an escort. Dickey, who is as young
and romantic girl as l am as old and prac-
teal woman, will accompany me, and If an
American combination of that sort isn't
equal to combined Europe, | am mistaken
in the character of the average American
woman, that's ALL"
From that time until the date of our de-
parture every effort was made to dissuade us
from our "mad undertaking." as they called
it, but Dickey and had done some domestic
travelling before, and were not to be scared
off from attempting the foreign variety. Our
preparations were not elaborate or expensive.
Enough clothing to meet ordinary wants was
all we thought necessary, and the least
amount of baggage was our chief considera-
lion. We bought tickets via the Hamburg
American line because that gave us choice of
landing in England, France or Germany, as
our within might be, and we stood forth be-
fore our friends ready to go to Europe.
We had by this time become herones, and
[ really believe | could have enlisted a dozen
women to have gone under our banners,
out we didn't want them, for the
more women you have on hand the
more trouble you have on hand, aud two is
always company while more is a crowd, and
hate crowds. Arriving in New York a
lay before sailing, we visited one or two out
lifting establishments and bought chairs, sea
sick medicine, and such Cther things as were
recommended, all of which, except the chairs,
we found entirely unnecessary. Men can get
along without the chairs, but for woman
chair and rug Gap robe) are very desirable.
So one Thursday afternoon ats o'clock found
Is on the deck Of our steamer in her dock at
Hoboken, and about us were a hundred Ger
man citizens, half of whom had come to tell
the other half good by, and as we stood
among them, knowing only the English
tongue, l felt for an instant like catching up
my skirts and scooting for home. But Dickey
was jolly.
"Mary Jane" said she, ~ like this"
"But," said I, "there is no pleasure in hear
ing everybody talking and not understanding
a word that is said"
| UIVhU y c,il cbp in clIrnrisn offs the most
natural thing in the world. Did you ever in
your life hear forty women, of any race or
language, all talking at once, and understand
word they saida If you did, it's more than
[ can say for myself, and l have frequently
been one of the forty"
A minute or two later she said something
about Hobollen, and Hoboken being as diff
cult of comprehension to the untutored mind
as German, and began to recover my foot
ing, and pretty soon felt glad to be there.
Just as the steamer backed out the usual three
handed man fright hand, left hand and O
little behind hand-chestnutD came tearing
through the crowd to get on board. But he
missed it, and it cost him $40 to catch W
with us in a tug and climb up the ships side
OH rope ladder. He got his moneys worth
though, presume, i'll being the only passenger
, who had climbed in over the trarsom, so t.
:, speak, and having a sort of rope ladder hale
Of glory thrown about him by those who haG
, simply walked aboard on the gang plank like
, dumb, driven cattle"
!, However brave one may be there is in leav
ing the land for the first time peculiar feel
ing, and as the shores recede from sight ant
D the great sea- crossed by thousand vessels
courses and yet unmarked, spreads out in it
mystery, its silence and its danger. there come
sensation Of terror, before which human
!, helplessness bows in absolute submission
, There is, too, a sentiment in departure from
the land of ones nativity; the going out from
, the old to the new, the forsaEing of the know
for the unknown, and this finds expression il
4 peculiar sadness, which l believe is calleC
, forth only by the sea. have been out of til,
, country on several occasions by land, and
had no such feeling as | have endeavored t.
q explain possessed me when tire rolling SET
touched the horizon and shut the last lant
, from view.
! We had good dinner, first rate dinner,
9 NAV say, and thus REINFORCED we came
up on deck and watched the stars
= 'the common people of the sky" come
= out for their evening promenade, anC
c passed delightful evening, and at its close
went TO bed with sense Of restful case and {
! luxurious motion that never comes to thos
:, who do not Ego down to the sea in ships"
= Friday was beautiful day, and the merry
waves danced gracefully in the sunshine unit
;, the night came again, and when the Dime
7 bell rang at 5 o'clock we knew more thai
:, half of our fifty-and- odd German passengers
There were only four Americans on board
except ourselves, but almost every German
q was an American in patriotic enthusiasm, AM
q the men talked politics iuently in two Ian
!, guagcs. W. had representatives from Nc
a braska, California, Texas, Iowa. Illinois
y Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York, and ever,
! man of them had made money in the land o
q the free and was going back TO Fatherland b
, see the old folks at home. There was also on
! from Guatemala and one from Buenos Ayres
both merchants and both rich. One rathe
unusual case was that Of Texas Germal
a who had served in the Confederate army
= He told me one Texas regiment had an entir
q company Of Germans. / didn't know unit
he told me that for forty years the German
a had been immigrating 10 Texas, that in som
. counties almost the sole population was Teu
= tonic, and that there were many born Texan
who spoke only the German language. =
much for going away from home to learn til
n news.
: Having been informed by alleged intell
4 gent persons that sea sickness was largely
creature of the Imagination, both Dickey an